{
  "abstract": "Alcohol misuse is a leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Chronic alcohol is associated with disrupted circadian rhythms, yet molecular mechanisms linking circadian rhythm dysregulation and alcohol consumption are poorly understood. Current FDA-approved treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) do not target molecular rhythms or sleep-wake cycles. Mammalian circadian rhythms are regulated by transcription-translation feedback loops that regulate expression of 'clock genes' (e.g., Arntl encoding for BMAL1). Both human and rodent studies demonstrate associations between clock gene variants and changes in reward-seeking behavior. Evidence suggests astrocytes, non-neuronal brain cells with cell-autonomous rhythms, may regulate both circadian rhythms and reward. In the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a region responsible for modulating alcohol- and reward-related behavior, over 43% of the astrocyte transcriptome is expressed rhythmically. However, no studies to date have investigated roles of NAc astrocyte rhythmicity in regulating alcohol drinking. We used AAV8-Gfap-Cre to functionally ablate molecular rhythms in NAc astrocytes of BMAL1 floxed mice. Two-bottle choice (2BC), drinking-in-the-light (DIL), and drinking-in-the-dark (DID) assessed alcohol drinking. Behavioral assays included locomotor response to novelty, sucrose preference, and social interaction. Disrupting molecular clock function in NAc astrocytes increased binge-like drinking during both DIL and DID paradigms (d = 1.44), but not with any other drinking paradigm or behavior. This study carves out a unique role for astrocytes in controlling the temporal organization of reward circuitry and susceptibility to binge-drinking. Future studies will investigate clock-controlled astrocyte mechanisms, such as glutamate uptake and ATP release, that may underlie binge-like drinking behavior.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "University of Pittsburgh"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "T. Keefauver"
    },
    {
      "name": "N. L. Horan"
    },
    {
      "name": "N. J. Fairbanks"
    },
    {
      "name": "L. Morgan"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Saxena"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. Logan"
    },
    {
      "name": "G. E. Homanics"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. P. Farris"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. L. Seney"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "K. D. Ketchesin"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4cce0c8pzkk1n.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.08.28.747847",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747847v1.full",
  "id": "4cce0c8pzkk1n",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747847v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2807|Circadian rhythm and melatonin"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7208711696",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747847v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-08-28",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4cce0c8pzkk1n.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:16Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.08.28.747847",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747847v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Astrocyte molecular rhythm disruption in nucleus accumbens promotes increased binge-like drinking in mice",
  "title_text": "Astrocyte molecular rhythm disruption in nucleus accumbens promotes increased binge-like drinking in mice",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:16Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4cce0c8pzkk1n",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}